Quick 20-minute butter chicken is creamy and packed full of flavor. It’s simplified and cooked all in one pan and goes great with a side of rice or naan!
Ever since moving to Alexandria, Virginia we’ve been in luck with all the Indian, Pakistani, and Aghani restaurants around us. We love the cuisine because it’s loaded with flavor and spice and is great for cold nights. One dish we keep going back for is the butter chicken. The spicy creaminess is unforgettable and always makes us go back for more!
I’ve been experimenting with my own version of home-made butter chicken over the past few weeks and I’ve finally found the perfect one. This simple no-fuss one pan butter chicken is just perfect. It’s simplified and does not require a whole bunch of ingredients, yet it’s packed with just the right amount of spice.
Easy 20 Minute Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated (or use paste)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
- 1 ½ pounds about 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste, or 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, or paprika, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Fenugreek, I use powder, but seeds or mustard seeds can be used too, optional*
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream, sub for half & half or yogurt for low fat
- Hot cooked rice and naan for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, butter, and onions and cook onions down until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the chicken, tomato paste, and spices. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until everything is cooked through.
- Add the heavy cream and simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve over Basmati rice or with naan.
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delish! I substituted mustard powder and a little fennel seeds for the fenugreek.
Yum, that looks delicious!!
The first time I made this recipe I used breast meat and it was delicious. The second time I made it, I used boneless thighs and, WOW!! Where has butter chicken been all my life??!! Thank you for sharing this easy, delectable meal!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the dish, Anita! 😀
If you are looking for an easy Butter Chicken recipe this one is delicious and so easy to make! Totally going to be making this again!
I’m Pakistani and grew up eating authentic butter chicken. I’ve been wanting to find a simplified version that still tastes delicious and doesn’t take 2 hours and 7000 ingredients to make. THIS IS IT! Thank you for making my weeknights easier while my kids can still enjoy a taste of home!
I totally get it!! I’m sure you will love this easy version👌
I made this recipe for the first time tonight and it was delicious.
Only made a few small changes. Used chicken thighs. And blended a handful of cashews and water into a paste – added this in with the cream.
Been looking for an easy butter chicken recipe that hits the spot and I can say, finally found one!
Thanks for sharing
So good and so fast! My picky 9 year old DEVOURED it and I ate it for breakfast the next day. We ate it wither turmeric rice from Our Best Bites and it was absolute perfection!
Always great to hear that!
We love this recipe and have been using it for years. Also very versatile for spice level, I’m Thai and love some extra heat. Tonight I mixed in some “stir fry” vegetables with the chicken and it turned out great 🥰 Happy faces and stomachs all around.
Love this recipe. Come out perfect every time. I have one question tho. Can you freeze this recipe and if so do you do it in a marinade or after cooked?
I do freeze it after it’s cooked, just divided in portions, in separate containers. I prepare this as lunches for a week, so I freeze it with cooked pasta.
This was great! Omitted onion (less carbs) and used canned coconut milk since I’m out of heavy cream. Paired it with cauliflower rice. Kiddos and hubby enjoyed it, thank you!
I dont understand it. When I added the chicken and tomato paste and spices, the tomato doesnt mix. Do you put the chicken on top of paste? or paste on chicken?
Now my tomato paste is just burning.
You will need to add some water if the mixture is too thick. Try stirring in 1/4 cup water and add more as needed.
Add the spices on top of the garlic and onion, then add tomato paste and stir it all together. Add a little butter or broth (start with a tablespoon) if it’s too thick, but it should be more like a paste than a sauce. Alternately, reduce the heat – it should be medium to medium high. Then add chicken and stir to coat, letting the tomato caramelize but not burn.
Easy and delicious recipe. One-pan, accessible ingredients, and great flavor payoff. My family loved it and it will definitely be a repeat main course. I used half & half instead of heavy cream, and the sauce was still rich and not runny. We like a bit of heat, so I added 1/4 tsp aleppo pepper.
Easy to make and very delicious.
The recipe is great but I made a couple of omissions due to not having all the ingredients. I couldn’t find my ginger paste so had to use ginger powder. Substituted the tomato paste with tomato sauce. I omit the fenugreek because I don’t like it. Also, my cilantro went bad so no cilantro on top.
I’ve made this recipe many times with great success! Moral of my story…..make sure you have the preferred ingredients! It was still good but would’ve been perfect using tomato paste, ginger paste, and cilantro!
This 20-minute butter chicken recipe is a game-changer! Its creamy texture and rich flavor, combined with the simplicity of being a one-pan meal, make it a perfect choice for busy days. Serving it with rice or naan rounds out the meal beautifully, offering both ease and deliciousness in under 30 minutes. Thanks for sharing such a quick and flavorful recipe that makes weeknight dinners a breeze!
Love this recipe. My family and I have made this regularly for several years now and it never disappoints!
I’m wondering if anyone has tried using chickpeas instead of chicken? Sometimes I like a vegetarian option. 😊
Awesome, nothing like butter chicken in the punjab but still a flavoursome, delicious, fast meal
I have made this three times now and it is soooo good! I am NOT a very good cook, lbut my husband requests this. Pretty fool proof! Thanks!
Just finished dining on this delicious Butter Chicken dish. I was reluctant to make it because I didn’t have any tomato sauce, only Prego pasta sauce. I decided to use it and I’m glad I took the risk. The only other change I made was to add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes in with the onions, ginger and garlic. We like things a little spicier in our house. Great recipe! Thank you!
The sauce was very creamy and comforting. The chicken also was miraculously very tender and juicy; not dry. Super delicious and the sauce was the perfect consistency. I LOVE BUTTER CHICKEN with all of my heart. Thank you so much for providing me with this recipe. I would recommend the butter chicken with either naan, rice, or both.
Delicious and so fast! Thank you. I used half cream and half yogurt and it worked perfectly !
Very good and easy dinner! Made some minor adjustments to suit my taste wil definitley make again.
Delicious! Very easy to make! My family loved it!
I want to try this but I don’t understand what you mean by 1 cup of heavy cream?. What does 1 cup mean in ml or g?
1 Cup is the Imperial Version of 250 mL or 250 g. Hope this helps!
Dan. its as easy as Google.
1 cup equals how many ml
Ok well this just changed my life 👏👏👏👏👏 DELICIOUS!
It was a super quick recipe and turned out to be delicious… Wow!!! Thank you for this quick and yummy recipe.
amazing help me in school which currenting in rn
My teenage daughter loved this and she is picky! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Enjoy!
I’ve made this at least 5 or 6 times now and am making it again right now. The family absolutely loves it. My 14 year old son asks for it specifically as the good curry lol.
So happy to hear! My little one loves it as well <3
this rescpiee looks like it will be great to eat when i make it for school next week❤️❤️😘😘😎😎😎😎😎🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑😩😩😩😩😩🥶🥶🥶🥵🥵🥵🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳.i hope everything goes well it dont burn anything🔥🔥🔥🔥. this better be good or im charnging my review 😤😤😤😡😡😡😡👿👿😈😈😈😈💀💀💀💀💀💀🦄
Thank you for this! I’m not great at cooking but this was an easy recipe after a tiring day and it was so good, picky husband approved!
Delicious and easy
My 8 year old son loves this recipe. Luckily it’s easy and quick to put together. He even helps me cook. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Kristin! My 10 year old is a big fan of this recipe as well 🙂
This was really good!! whole family loved it
This was simply outstanding. Please try it, you will not be disappointed.
That was soooooo delicious! I added a little Penzey’s “The Now Curry”, just because I LOVE it, but otherwise, made exactly as directed! So rich and fragrant! Recommend!
Hi how much did you use of Penney curry, will this make it too spicy hot
This 20-minute butter chicken recipe sounds fantastic! The fact that it’s creamy, full of flavor, and simplified into a one-pan dish makes it a real time-saver. Pairing it with rice or naan is a perfect touch, ensuring a delicious and complete meal. It’s great to have a recipe that delivers such rich taste and convenience all in one go!
My kids went crazy for this!
Beautiful photo! Thanks for sharing and so happy the kiddos enjoyed it. My little one loves this dish too!
Made a massive batch in our 20 qt slowcooker. Instead of chicken used paneer, and raw spuds cut with our mandolin with potato chip blade. Takes far longer to cook if using raw spuds but cooked in the sauce, they are delicious. Also, no cream so used some cream cheese from freezer, worked well. 4 servings last night + 30 generous ones –>freezer = quick meals with rice from cooker. All for the price of a take-out order for 4.
Yes, so much better homemade! Thanks for sharing the detailed feedback 🙂
Did you do the spices in the pan first or everything in the slow cooker at the same time?
I made this and my family can’t have enough
Added a few ingredients!! Perfect
I made this tonight! Super easy, quick and delicious. I’ll definitely be adding this to my regular rotation. I doubled the recipe and left out the chicken. It was perfect.
First time making it and won’t be my last! Can I substitute the butter chicken with paneer? Would the steps be the same?
This was amazing. Absolutely loved it. I only had chicken drumsticks, I followed the recipe and at the end, put all the chicken in my dutch oven, stuck it in the oven for 40 minutes at 400. Came out like a dream. THANKS FOR THIS RECIPE
This recipe is delicious and easy to make and will be one of my go-to recipes moving forward! Thank you for sharing it!
Really very easy and quick to make. Comes out really well. Easy to follow directions. At times for more gravy I use the
” Lotus Kitchen Brand” Butter Masala Simmer Sauce. A few tablespoons for more gravy. Otherwise basically I follow the
recipe.
A family and friends favourite now. Such a good recipe I used Greek yoghurt instead of cream.
Would be nice if there was a print recipe feature here.
lol ever heard of copy and paste, Sheila?
Why are people so rude?
It is there, you just scroll up.
why cant i find the Print button on this site??
If you scroll up, you should see where it says print
Made this tonight and it was yummy and quick to make. Especially when you use rotisserie chicken. That is what I had on hand. Will make it again. I serve it with cauliflower rice to keep the carbs low. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
it was soo good and easy to make
This is the fastest, healthiest and most delicious butter chicken recipe i have tried. I have used 1/2 & 1/2 milk, Greek yogurt and sometimes a mixture of both. And only a small amount of butter.
I’m eating this right now and this recipe is delicious.It is so easy and quick to make. I honestly feel like I’m eating in a good restaurant.This will be a regular for me. I’m so happy I found this. Thank you.
Delicious! I made this for myself and my boyfriend and we loved it, he kept telling me how “tasty” it was. He thinks I’m an amazing cook, but it’s the recipe that’s good!
Hera, the recipe is good, but your boyfriend is right, you’re an amazing cook!
So GOOD!! My picky 4 year old son ate this with rice (I mixed his with yogurt to make it more mild for him). This is perfect!! Thanks so much. 🙂
Made this for the first time. Used Indian Kashmiri chili powder for the “chili powder” and 1/2 of a Vidalia onion, and Ghee instead of regular butter for sauteing the onions. Only adjustment I made was I added about 2 tbps of Kerrygold butter to the pot about 5 minutes before serving. Excellent Butter Chicken recipe!
Thanks for the lovely feedback! So great to hear that you loved it.
tried making again without spices of India butter chicken (thinks its called that maybe taste of India)packet and tasted bland , I would recommend substituting the tomato paste for the packet similar to filipino food always better with the correlating mama Sita spice pack
Bahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!